The invention relates to a vehicle sunroof with a cover which closes a roof hatch and is slidable rearward beneath the roof surface to open the roof hatch, said cover comprising two laterally directed and lengthwise displaceable brake rods, as well as two first guide parts running in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle on both sides of the cover, and with a roof frame extending rearward on both sides of the roof hatch, to which frame second guide parts complementary to the first guide parts are fastened, said second guide parts meshing with the first guide parts and locating the latter in the vertical direction.
In a vehicle sunroof of the above type, as known from German Pat. No. 964,021, the brake rods serve, among other things, to lock the sunroof in any desired open position, whereby the brake rods are pressed against a vertical wall of the roof frame by actuating a locking mechanism, and the sunroof is locked by the pressure between the ends of the brake rods and the roof frame. When the cover of the sunroof is pulled completely into the roof hatch, the ends of the brake rods in the known sunroof are located opposite a sloping part. In addition, at least one of the guide parts is provided in this position with a recess, so that, when the brake rods are extended, the latter are guided along the slope of the sloping part and raise the sunroof in the vertical direction, until the trailing edge of the cover is flush with the rest of the roof, and the cover fits tightly in the roof hatch (see also German Pat. Nos. 1,063,472; 1,137,327; and 1,084,586).
In vehicle sunroofs according to the state of the art, there is the disadvantage that the brake rod must be set precisely relative to the width of the vehicle to permit the cover of the sunroof to be locked securely in any intermediate open position. Hence, manufacturing of the sunroof and especially its installation in the vehicle are time-consuming and costly.
On the basis of the state of the art, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof of the type recited hereinabove which is characterized by lower manufacturing and installation costs, and in which, in particular, precise lengthwise adjustment of the brake rods is not required.
This object is achieved, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, by virtue of the fact that the roof frame is provided on both sides with a sloping area which is opposite free ends of the brake rods in any intermediate open position, and an approximately horizontal supporting surface abutting the latter outwardly and laterally, for supporting the brake rods.
The means according to the invention has the following effect:
If the two brake rods are extended laterally in an intermediate open position, for example by actuating a locking mechanism, their ends run up on the sloping surface, whereby the brake rods, after being extended further, are lifted up on the approximately horizontal supporting surface. However, since the two guide parts, complementary to each other, are engaged in the intermediate open position, the cover is clamped between the lower edge of the brake rod end and the guide parts, thus providing a secure locking of the cover in every intermediate open position. The length of the brake rods is completely noncritical, since these rods rest upon the approximately horizontal support surfaces and the location of their end positions in the horizontal direction is unimportant. The fact that the means according to the invention no longer require the ends of the brake rods to be pressed against a vertical surface permits the frame part to be laterally made out of thinner material. This offers a possibility for menufacturing the entire frame to the same thickness of material.
According to an especially advantageous embodiment, the first guide parts are made of laterally directed guide shoes mounted on laterally directed sliding angles, while the second guide parts consist of guide tracks with two parallel, horizontal ribs, by which the guide shoes are surrounded at the top and bottom. The upper rib of the guide track is provided with a recess at the position which the guide shoe occupies when the sunroof is in the closed position, so that the connection between the guide shoes and the guide tracks is released in this position, permitting the cover to be raised to the point where it is flush with the remaining solid roof surface of the motor vehicle.
In order to increase the grip when the cover is locked in an intermediate open position, provision is made by another advantageous embodiment of the invention for the top surfaces of the guide shoes and/or the bottom surfaces of the upper rib of the guide tracks to be designed in such fashion that the friction between the two parts is increased in the locking state. Advantageously, sufficient play is provided between the guide track and the guide shoe in the non-locked state that the upper surfaces of the guide shoes and the lower surfaces of the upper ribs of the guide tracks do not come in contact, permitting a slight displacement of the cover.
It is particularly advantageous, according to another embodiment of the invention, for rollers, of a type that is known per se, to be disposed at the ends of the brake rods, the axes of said rollers being directed in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle, so that the brake rods can travel easily on the sloping surfaces and the horizontal support surfaces adjacent thereto.